Behind England’s flood defences are thousands of engineers, inspectors and specialists working in all weathers, around the clock. As Chief Engineer at the Environment Agency, I am proud to lead that effort. This Flood Action Week, we are asking everyone to check whether they are at risk and to know what to do if flooding happens. It is also a good moment to explain how we look after the tens of thousands of flood defences, structures and systems that help keep communities safer, reduce coastal erosion and manage water.
Why we need to keep adapting
We are aware of and listening to the concerns and frustrations of communities. Many flood defences are ageing, and more frequent and severe weather is placing them under greater pressure. It’s important to know that if an asset is below required condition, it does not automatically mean it has failed or stopped protecting people.
Nevertheless, we know the condition of the flood defences we manage because we inspect and monitor them regularly and draw on the knowledge of our local teams. We assess the risk, prioritise the work and put extra checks or other measures in place while repairs are planned or completed.
We have moved more funding into maintenance and targeted repairs and as a result, the proportion of our most important assets meeting the condition we require remained broadly stable at 92–93% through to December 2025.
The message is clear: as the climate changes, the way we care for flood defences must change too. Regular inspections and maintenance remain essential. Better information will also help us spot deterioration earlier and direct funding to the places where it can do most to reduce flood risk.
A fuller picture of how our defences are performing
For more than fifteen years, we have used condition checks as the main way of judging how well flood defences, navigation structures and water-management assets are being looked after. Those checks remain important, but they cannot tell us everything. We are therefore developing a broader approach, called Asset Health, to show not only an asset’s condition but also how well it is likely to perform over time.
Asset Health will give us a clearer, more complete picture of how each asset is performing and the part it plays in protecting a wider area. It will combine what we learn from inspections and monitoring with evidence about how an asset is ageing, what could cause it to fail, what the effects might be and how reliable our information is. This will help us intervene earlier and invest where action can make the greatest difference to homes, businesses, communities and the environment.
By 2028, every asset we manage will have a target health rating based on the role it plays and what would happen if it failed. This will help us make better decisions about when to inspect, maintain, repair or replace an asset—and explain those decisions more clearly to the public.
What's already changing
This is already beginning. We have updated our standards and, over the next few years, will make greater use of technology that can check assets from a distance. This will support—not replace—the regular inspections carried out by our teams and help us spot changes sooner.
For example, laser surveys can measure the shape and height of earth banks, while sensors can send us regular information without waiting for a site visit. These tools will not replace our inspectors, whose expertise and judgement remain essential. They will give inspectors a fuller picture of how assets are changing and provide earlier warning of possible problems.
Innovation with purpose (and proof)
We use innovation where there is clear evidence that it can solve real problems more safely, quickly or affordably.
Targeted support helped Internal Drainage Boards—local public bodies that manage water levels in low-lying areas—repair and upgrade important equipment after the exceptionally wet winter of 2023–24. At Black Sluice in Lincolnshire, funding paid for mobile pumps and the equipment needed to use them. When flooding occurred in January 2025, the team deployed the pumps quickly, helping to reduce the risk to homes, businesses and farmland.
On the Rother Tidal Walls East project, our innovation fund supported the use of a specialist excavator that can work safely on steep or difficult ground. Compared with conventional heavy machinery, this cut project costs by around 40% and potential carbon emissions by approximately 90%. It is a practical example of how tested new approaches can save money, reduce carbon and sustain flood protection.
Learning from the world, leading at home
The Environment Agency is one of many organisations that manage flood risk. In England, drainage boards, councils and landowners also look after flood defences, so working together is essential. We share practical lessons with partners in the UK and overseas—for example, how to maintain movable barriers and how different grasses can strengthen earth banks while supporting nature.
Sharing evidence and experience helps us improve faster, test our assumptions and adopt approaches that have already worked elsewhere.
Flood risk is growing as the climate changes, and many of the structures we rely on are ageing. We are clear about that challenge, and we are acting on it.
We know the condition of the assets we manage and are improving our understanding of how they are ageing. That evidence helps us decide when and where to act. Through sustained maintenance, targeted repairs, better monitoring and close partnership, we will continue to look after these assets so they can keep reducing flood risk for communities into the future.
There will always be more to do, and no flood defence can remove every risk. Managing flood risk is a shared responsibility. During Flood Action Week, our teams will keep inspecting, maintaining and improving defences. Everyone can help by checking their own flood risk, signing up for warnings where available and knowing what to do if flooding happens.
To find out more about how you can protect your home or business this Flood Action Week, visit Flood Action Online.
seen at 11:41, 14 October in Environment Agency: For homes and habitats..